Engineered ratiometric Sensory electrospun fibers for oxygen mapping in complex cultures and tumor microenvironment
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Monitoring the hypoxic microenvironment is fundamental due to its implication in tumor aggressiveness and progression. In this work, we propose the fabrication of ratiometric fluorescent fibers via electrospinning of poly(trimethylsylil)propine (PTMSP) polymer, an optically clear and gas permeable polymer, for oxygen (O 2 ) sensing in a melanoma tumor model. The ratiometric sensing configuration was obtained by entrapping tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) ruthenium (II) dichloride, capable of detecting dissolved O 2 variations, together with rhodamine B isothiocyanate, serving as a reference dye, within the polymer matrix. The fibers were characterized to point out morphology, porosity, and hydrophilicity. The sensing ability of the fibrous mat was deeply investigated by means of microplate reader and confocal imaging, showing a strict correlation between the fluorescent ratiometric read-out and the increasing concentration of dissolved O 2 in aqueous-based media. Moreover, the fibers exhibited high photostability, reversibility and excellent cytocompatibility, allowing monitoring O 2 gradients over time and space in vitro melanoma co-cultures. Overall, the optimized micrometric sensing system holds potential for real-time assessments of dissolved O 2 levels in vitro complex cell systems and heterogeneous tumour microenvironments, and can open up new engineering possibilities by means of using O 2 -sensitive dyes in tissue engineering scaffolding strategies. • Ratiometric fluorescent fibers are produced via electrospinning for extracellular dissolved oxygen sensing. • Robust, reversible sensing fibers enable precise dissolved oxygen detection with high spatial resolution. • Dissolved oxygen gradients quantified over time in 3D melanoma co-culture under varied oxygen conditions.
Source: Biosensors and Bioelectronics
Language: English
Subfield: Bioengineering
Field: Chemical Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,540
Funders: Fondazione AIRC per la ricerca sul cancro ETS, Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte, European Commission, Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Regione Puglia, European Research Council, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council, NextGenerationEU
Awards: ICVS/3B’s - Laboratório Associado, Instituto de Ciências da Vida e da Saúde / Grupo de Investigação em Biomateriais, Biodegradaveis e Biomiméticos, G1190608507, G144154175, G1516346500, G196965920, G2001838499, G2313475414, ICVS/3B’s - Laboratório Associado, Instituto de Ciências da Vida e da Saúde / Grupo de Investigação em Biomateriais, Biodegradaveis e Biomiméticos, G2470850046, G2857810087, G3125456256, G4129145046, G4316116677, G4323615694, G450822820, G5375198939, G6586625987, G694974824, G6997658380, G6997877468, G7274947606, Biomaterials-based Medicval Devices as Invitro 3D Tumour Models on a Chip, G7584003722, G7830278696, G8045520365, G928370871, G954014600, G972786147
OpenAlex ID: W4409535223